View SlideshowRequest to buy this photo"It's a chance for me to show I'm a regular guy. I can get my message across directly. And if I can get someone to check in and make them laugh, I think I'm doing everyone a justice." — Shaquille O'Neal

Twitter flits its way into world of sports -

When Shaquille O'Neal was introduced last week as the newest member of the Cleveland Cavaliers,
he was asked, repeatedly, about his penchant for Twitter.

On one hand, it was absurd. A TV guy rose and inquired why O'Neal wasn't sending a tweet at that
very moment, to which O'Neal responded, "Because I'm answering your question."

On the other hand, it was not absurd, not in the least. Is there a more relevant topic in the
world of sports today? Here was O'Neal, one of the NBA's best-ever big men, the subject of a
blockbuster trade, holding forth in a news conference. And his audience was a-twitter.

For those who are unaware, Twitter is a social-networking Web site where users can send "tweets"
-- messages with 140 or fewer characters -- to their followers. The service is free. Anyone can go
to the site, sign up for an account, send tweets to his or her "followers" and, in return, see
tweets from whomever he/she might be following.

For the record, I do not use Twitter, because I don't care much what anyone had for dinner, or
where they ate it. I can't be missing that much.

That said, I do not dismiss this as a phenomenon. Twitter, introduced in 2006, has tripled in
popularity over the past year. Arguably, its burgeoning impact has been felt in the world of sports
more than anywhere else.

Last week, one of my kids sent Shaq a tweet, praised the trade, sent a word of welcome. O'Neal
tweeted back, "I love my peeps." Even those of us who rue the passage of train travel have to
admit, that is pretty cool.

"It's a chance for me to show I'm a regular guy," O'Neal said. "I can get my message across
directly. And if I can get someone to check in and make them laugh, I think I'm doing everyone a
justice."

O'Neal, with nearly 1.6 million followers, is the Big Daddy of Twitter.

Southern California football coach Pete Carroll has 30,000 followers. Carroll was at the cutting
edge of a new trend -- college coaches who are using the technology to reach recruits. As long as
rules aren't broken, the NCAA allows unlimited use of Twitter. Carroll alerts followers to his
whereabouts (as long as he is not on the recruiting trail), what songs he is listening to, which
YouTube videos have caught his eye.

According to recent reports, new Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari has already enlisted
370,000 followers, Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez has 7,000 followers and Ohio State coach
Jim Tressel does not tweet because he prefers e-mails and handwritten letters. Make of that what
you will.

Last winter, Milwaukee Bucks big man Charlie Villanueva sent tweets during halftime of a game, a
stunt that did not sit well with coach Scott Skiles. Earlier this week, before the moratorium on
NBA free-agent signings was lifted, Villanueva tweeted, "Well, I'm a Piston.
Deeeeeeetroooooooiiiiit basketballllllllllllll!"

Also this week, Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco said he was going to tweet during
games. The NFL is looking into the matter. Hypocrite alert: During this past draft, a number of NFL
teams tweeted their picks before the league made the formal announcements.

In the world of sports, Twitter ethics -- twitethics? -- is the burgeoning subject of the day.
College coaches hate when their players use Twitter, but the coaches themselves use it as a
recruiting tool. How far ought that tool reach? On the professional level, does what goes on in the
locker room stay in the locker room? Can a player have a phone on the sideline? They're already
kicking it around on
NFL Live.

Twitter does not have a business model to support it long-term. Industry experts suggest that a
subscription price will be required sooner or later. But given its popularity, Twitter, or
something like it, is here to stay.

To me, that's not a big deal. Technology is a tool, and what matters is how it is used. Put in
sports terms: There have always been athletes who scream, "Hey, look at me!" and there have always
been those who merely point at the scoreboard.